Justin Timberlake Finds Humour in Homelessness in SNL Skit (Video)

Well, here’s an unfortunate coincidence. As outrage mounts over a video shown at the wedding of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel — which featured homeless people wishing the newlyweds well — there’s another video floating around on the internet, offering another unflattering juxtaposition of “SexyBack” singer Timberlake and the downtrodden.

In this clip from one of Timberlake’s appearances on Saturday Night Live, Timberlake plays a perhaps-overzealous fundraiser for a homeless shelter — dubbed Homelessville — who overshadows a competing charity worker dressed as Santa Claus with his rhymes and slick dance moves. While dressed as a Cup O’ Soup.

While the skit might have been intended as innocent fun, the mix of booty-shaking and wacky costumes with the grave issue of America’s homelessness problem isn’t to everyone’s sense of humor.

Neil Donovan, the executive director for the National Coalition for the Homeless, told TheWrap on Thursday that the SNL skit “crossed the line,” adding that Timberlake and Biel need to remain “extra cautious and sensitive” following the scandal over the wedding video.

“Justin and Jessica have decent track records when it comes to philanthropy and volunteerism. But no one should use homeless people as the butt of a joke. Justin’s publicly crossed the line once before on SNL (Homelessville),” Donovan said. “So, it’s going to be important for them to remain extra cautious and sensitive. What starts out as a seemingly innocent joke can quickly feed into dehumanizing hate and abuse.”